O'Malley should do this every week as long as Ehrlich has a show.

This is exactly what ought to be happening in a campaign. If the Ehrlich folks don't take the bait, they ought to drop out now.

Do we really need Governor O'Malley talking at all...I can just hear him now , "America the beautiful, whose alabaster cities gleam, undimmed by human tears; oh, my friends, to govern is to choose." This guy talks without saying anything constantly. I for one am tired of listening to his nonsense.

This is an obvious ploy by O'Malley to try to get Ehrlich to give up his radio show early. Currently Ehrlich plans to stay on the show until he formally files in July, but how could he he debate on WBAL with a WBAL employee moderating the debate and still have a show on that station? O'Malley is such a schmuck.

(From Julie: Really? What's the problem with that?)

Ehrlich, take the challenge, and just beat the living daylights outta him. Tell him how much we are in debt and how big of a failure he is

Great move politically for O'Malley. It's a no-lose situation. If Ehrlich says no, he looks like an absolute coward (especially given that he already spends plenty of time on the radio during that exact time slot on that station). If he says yes, then O'Malley can remind listeners that he's more philosophically aligned with them than Ehrlich.

This is undoubtedly a terrible political context for Democrats, but if O'Malley can get Ehrlich talking about political issues like abortion, gay rights, and other lightning-rod issues, he can try to separate himself from the national climate and try to remind Marylanders that Ehrlich's views are not shared by a majority in a liberal state.

For what it's worth, I am a registered independent and don't particularly like either candidate, I'm just commenting as an observer on the politics of this move. Maryland remains a heavily democratic state, and O'Malley needs to remind voters that they think like him more than they think like Ehrlich.

Ehrlich doesn't need to be told what to do by a one term governor. Mr. O'Malley- before you start issuing demands of anyone, take a good look at the polls. Things have changed.

Umm...Larry, Ehrlich was a one-term Governor.

Baltimore City, PG county,Montgomery county. GAME OVER. O'Malley wins again!!! He will win by at least 3 % points.

Earth to Ehrlich: YOU'RE THE CHALLENGER!

You take whatever debate terms the incumbent is offering because ANY sort of debate is a win for you. If this is the Ehrlich braintrust at work, then this election isn't even going to be close.

Cry BABY Martin up to his old tricks. I hope he looses big time. He is the worst govenor we have ever had in my opion

O'Malley talked over the last debate moderator. O'Malley is incapable of honest discourse. Everything about the man is a sham and a con. I am no longer obsessed with O'Malley as the chief executive crook in a crooked state. I accept that Maryland is overtaxed and that our government overspends. I know that O'Malley and his wife, like all state workers, trust in an unfunded retirement system that will go broke. Living well is the best revenge.

Well, its up to the boy gov. Will he be a coward? He wanted to beat up others in the parking lot. Put on his muscle shirt and get down to it.

One on one.

I saw Julie's response to one commenter and I think it is a little misleading for the media to suggest O'Malley has not set a negative tone to this campaign already. They obviously worked out a series of attack ads against Ehrlich before he ran at the MDP which were subsequently parroted by the O'Malley Administration. On top of that, they spent money running a negative push poll on Ehrlich in a primary and creating an entirely fake mocking Ehrlich website.

But now, 'what's the problem' with their offer is the media response. The problem is we all know it was never made in seriousness evidenced by their refusal to have a 1-on-1.

It's the annoyed wife/husband asking 'am I beautiful' just to be angry at whatever response is given.

Kudos to Team Ehrlich for responding that they welcome a 1-on-1. It's more than I would have done.

(Hi, Brad. Sorry for any confusion. I wasn't suggesting the tone wasn't negative... Just asking about this part of the comment: "how could he he debate on WBAL with a WBAL employee moderating the debate and still have a show on that station." Truly wondering what the issue there is.)

This rematch reeks of vengeance, and will seemingly have no real emphasis on tackling any of the hot-button issues which the DC suburbs will be certain to want to hear about - all of which stem back to the stagnant national economy. No matter what, Ehrlich had better be in for one serious fight, because as long as O'Malley doesn't slip up among voters in the two DC suburban counties, this race is as good as over.

I'll give O'Malley credit -- this is a clever move.

Ehrlich should have accepted.

I'm disapointed O'Malley is refusing to go on the show after he wanted to go on. A debate just allows for canned responses to be given, a conversation between O'Malley and Ehrilch would have been much more interesting.

Nice Captucha: kibitzes social, just what a conversation between Ehrilch and O'Malley would have been like.

What's this? The little baby Booby Ehrlich
demands the Governor sit down a guest while litte Booby sits in his high chair and controls the microphone while harpy Kendel chimes in?

How about Ehrlich being a man for once and letting Jeff Salkin host a debate?

Coming from someone who has voted for both Ehrlich AND O'Malley in his lifetime I can do nothing but laugh at this.

THIS IS WHY YOU LOST BOB! Games like this. Gov challenges you to debate, you accept but it is on YOUR radio-show, with no moderator, meaning you are in the driver-seat.

That is not a debate or a discussion that is an interview with a clear political motive.

The problem with Bob is he has nothing. outside of GOP madlib - filler of taxes bad small business good - he doesn't have much of a leg to stand on.

O'Malley is a weak gov right now, all Bob has to do is come up with one unique thing, one thing that the community can get behind. MD's Brainless GOP base is not nearly the size of its brainless DEM base - you won't win playing to your base!

It's Ehrlich's show and he can call the shots, but there has to be a moderator in any dialogue between these two because they can both talk a long time without saying anything. Somebody has to referee, because as Ron Smith said on his radio show, it will be a schoolyard fight between two large and competitive egos.

I would definitely tune in if they can get it set up in a casual atmosphere where both candidates can argue their respective positions.

But I really think the O'Malley camp put this together knowing the Ehrlich camp would decline and counter-offer, and the Ehrlich camp knew that the O'Malley camp would decline the counter.

This one will be fun to watch and listen to. I am undecided, so both of them have my ear.

Go for it!

I think they both need to put up or shut up on the debate idea. There hasn't been a REAL political debate in this countryh since Lincoln/Douglas. But how about this? They go to Goucher, Morgan State, U Maryland, and sit on a stage for two hours, just the tweo of them and an audience. They can ask each other whatever they want and take as long as they want to answere. Of course this thing shokuld be carried live on radio, TV, and the internet so we can all see for ourselves.

O'Malley will whine about being the underdog because there is one media outlet that is not totally behind him. So who would O'M want to moderate? I am sure Mark Steiner is still available. Just go on the show and talk, or get your own show, WBAL has been offering for years.

If he decides to run again...he will lose! Thank God...I couldn't take another four years of an Idiot in Annapolis. I'm tired of cleaning up after his messy administration. I still see the terrible affect he had on Montgomery County. Not again...no, never again.

The solution is simple compromise.
They should debate in both formats asap.
Both sides need to stop the posing and posturing and get to it.
I am calling out both Ehrlich and OMalley.

I'm not a big fan of either party or candidate, but Ehrlich will lose by at least the same margin this time. Ehrlich was fortunate that the Dems fielded a poor candidate in KKT. He appears to have no ability to read the political sentiment of voters statewide. He's probably banking on another financial crisis this year, but signs aren't pointing in that direction. Also, a main talking point he's chosen is the health care bill, but this strategy has a few clear flaws: (1) the bill is not nearly as unpopular in Maryland as it has been in other, more conservative areas of the country; (2) the bill's popularity received a boost when it passed (Americans like a winner); and (3) many of the people who are most offended by the bill are sophisticated enough to understand that it passed in Washington and not in Annapolis.

How about a debate in someplace like Cecil or Carroll County Governor? Before a live audience of course where no one will be throwing Oriole Cookies at the speakers. Uh Deb: If you do not want an idiot in Annapolis for another four years then I take it you will be voing for Ehrlich.

Ehrlich should have Brian Murphy on his show! Brian is running for Governor of MD as a Republican and currently has more money in the bank that Ehrlich!